Jan Bartos was born in Poland. Having graduated in violin making from the Paderewski Academy of Music in Poznan he spend ten years in Cremona as the head of the violin making workshop of Eric Blot, where he developed a deep-rooted understanding of the construction and restoration of stringed instruments. This experience gave him an opportunity to work on and be inspired by the great italian masters – Stradivari, Guarneri, Bergonzi, Amati etc.

As the result of the collaboration with the National Museum in Poznan, he became a co-author of the publication “The Polish School of Violin Making from Groblicz to Dankwart”, which was published in 2016 – a book which highlights the work of Polish makers from the 17th and 18th centuries.

In 2007, he opened his workshop in the Marais district in the heart of Paris at 60 rue du Vertbois, where he continues to make his instruments and carries out his research on acoustics and varnish fabrication and application. He is currently preparing his doctoral dissertation.